Business keeps Severson busy

Even when forced to be still, an aura of energy pours from her, evident in the jangling foot, the constant shifting of weight and the laugh she reclines into before coming forward to smile straight into your eyes.

"I'm not much of a sitter," she said.

A person never would guess that she's suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for 15 years. Two weeks ago, the support group she started had its first meeting.

"I thought, 'now is the time,'" she said. "It's wonderful to have someone to talk to who's experienced it."

The six years Severson spent as the chamber's director didn't quite prepare her for her role now.

After her husband's death in 1991, Severson quit the chamber to step into his shoes and run the family business, Severson Supply, a mining and construction equipment company.

Severson's been in Craig since 1975. She has three children and seven grandchildren who live here.

She has no plans to leave Craig.

"I'm in Craig because I choose to live here, not because I have to be," she said.